I signed her up the moment I heard that a nearby library was going to include a class on making fairy gardens. As an aside: this year, the libraries around us have outdone themselves in terms of their summer programming for tweens. Usually their emphasis seemed to be on little kids (up to about 2nd grade), but wow, what a change! Chess camps, math tessellation art projects, Lego race cars, and nature photography have been just some of the free programs from our local libraries.

Starting with a clean plastic container, she filled the bottom with gravel and then added potting soil on top. She painted a terra cotta pot to look like a little house and gave it a roof by hot-gluing a piece of bark on top. Then she placed a few mini-succulents around and added a pond made of blue crystals and a bright blue stone.

Notice the gravel path leading from the house to the pond. She also made a little stone bench for any tired wee fairies by hot-gluing two stones on top of each other and included a gazing ball (a marble glued to a golf tee) for a little interest.

I’m enchanted with this little garden; in fact, I can’t stop thinking that making a fairy village would be the perfect thing for our little wreck of a garden near our front door. Hope E is willing to help me replicate these little wonders in a much larger area.

Does your local public library have great summer programming for the kids? Do tell!

I so agree. As a kid, I thought I was so cool when I got my first library card and could check out My Very Own Books. And I kinda still feel that way. The fact that our local library is hosting these great programs for the kids just makes me love it all the more.

I know that feeling. The last couple of years I felt that the little kids really got some great programming but there was not a lot for tweens and teens. That changed when they added in the chess camps and Lego building sessions. But the biggest change happened when one of the Girl Scouts decided to organize some different activities/craft programs. I’m so glad the children’s librarians were open to her ideas — they have been amazing! Wonder if yours would be open to suggestions…. (maybe?)

Libraries are one of the best ideas on the planet — I’m convinced! That’s so cool that your library has a lot for the school-aged crowd instead of just the little ones. I still cannot believe that this fairy garden activity was completely free — amazing!

This is truly a delightful and long-living project. It even has possibilities to be changed up sometimes just like you would do with a dollhouse. I wonder if this project will be a highlight for your daughter out of all the summer activities you have shared with us? Brilliant! ~Thea

There were 25 or so girls in her “class” at the library and they all loved every second of this project. Once they saw an example, they went to town with very little instruction. The one thing that cracked me up? They were working inside and you could almost get a contact high from the hot glue gun fumes! I’d recommend it as an outdoor project — definitely! 🙂